Some Say New Lamborghini Design
Is 'Sick' -- but That Is a Good Thing

As a group of preteen boys craned from the window of a passing SUV, one succinctly summed up our latest test vehicle. "That's a sick car!" he shouted.

As we understand 11-year-old parlance, that's "sick," as in over-the-top good. But other words work, too: Try "pricey" ($273,000), "fast" (over 200 mph) and "brawny" (571 horsepower). With a fuel-economy rating of 9 miles per gallon in city driving, the 2002 Lamborghini Murcielago is also "thirsty."

But those words describe plenty of cars costing $50,000 to $100,000 -- a range in which a buyer should expect to get every nicety. So how does one recalibrate the language for a car that costs more than a quarter-million dollars -- as much as six Chevy Corvettes, 17 VW Beetles or 27 Toyota Echos -- but still doesn't have electrically adjustable seats or a CD changer?

The kid's assessment comes close, but only after a few hundred miles of driving would we be able to fill in the details of what's now the fastest new production car sold in the U.S. The Murcielago is Lamborghini's first new design in more than 10 years and the first since Volkswagen bought the company in 1998. With plans to build roughly 400 a year -- about one-third of which it will sell in the U.S. -- Lamborghini is aiming at the same rarified market occupied by Ferrari's 575 Maranello and Aston Martin's Vanquish, which go for $225,000, give or take a Hyundai. But the Murcielago's unique, creased shape and race-car-style engine mounted behind the seats make it seem even more exotic.

To see how the two-seat Italian would handle on the open roads, my wife, Alexa, and I took it from New Jersey to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. Our first challenge: getting in. Push on a small indentation in the door and a hidden handle pops out. Pull up and the door scissors upward -- like an insect wing, in trademark Lamborghini fashion. The procedure is cool -- but it's hard for drivers to look cool while climbing in. Best way to do it without bumping the door's sharp lower edge is to face away from the car, bend over, plop your rear end into the seat and swing your legs around. So much for grace.

Inside our pearlescent yellow test car, almost everything was swathed in uniform-grained black leather that felt smooth and strong. But otherwise, the interior is spare. Seats adjust manually, and just barely. Indeed, there's a long list of things the Murcielago doesn't have, including vanity mirrors, a glove box and a spare tire. Cup holders? Those who take cappuccino on the go should find another car.

But for going fast -- or just knowing you could -- the Lamborghini is hard to beat with anything short of a racecar. Turn the key, the starter screeches for a bit before the big 12-cylinder engine snarls. The controls require unusual effort, from pumping the clutch and slotting the brushed-metal shift lever into first gear, to turning the steering wheel. But it takes almost no effort to accelerate to highway speeds. And way beyond. The Murcielago rockets to 60 mph in less than four seconds, all in first gear. (There are five more.)

To live with this car, one has to like bellowing engines. On the highway, conversation was possible with slightly raised voices, but Alexa found the rumble "soothing" enough that she quickly fell asleep. And the mechanical cacophony, which includes the whine of spinning gears and the rush of air, easily drowned out our radio news show. But for Lamborghini buyers -- typically men who own their own businesses, the company says -- the noise just confirms the power that helped the car set three international speed records for production cars in February, including an average speed of 199 mph over a 100-kilometer course.

And the price? That covers materials like the carbon fiber that composes most of the body, and the labor to handcraft the tubular-steel frame. (To piece the car together, the VW unit relies little on German-style automation and largely on workers at its Bologna, Italy, plant.) In spite of the handwork, some previous models have had quality-control problems; even our test model had an ashtray cover that didn't want to stay closed.

But customers are also paying for buzz, and this car generates plenty of that, particularly, as we noticed, among preteen boys. And that's to be expected: After all, a car this fast and flashy manages to appeal directly to that 11-year-old in most anyone. Especially anyone with a "sick" quarter-million to spend on a car.

DRIVER'S MANUAL

Performance Anxiety

Here's how the 2002 Lamborghini Murcielago compares with other powerful, exotic cars.

MAKE/MODEL

BASE PRICE

ENGINE/ HORSEPOWER

ACCELERATION 0-60 MPH (SEC.)

WEIGHT (POUNDS)

EPA MILEAGE (CITY/HIGHWAY)

Lamborghini Murcielago

$273,000

V12/571

3.6

4,000

9/13

Aston Martin Vanquish

$228,000

V12/300

4.5

4,046

10/14

Ferrari 575M Maranello

$221,870

V12/515

4.2

3,815

8/13

Porsche GT2

$179,900

6-cyl./456

3.6

3,175

15/22

Bentley Continental T

$308,990

V8/420

5.7

5,401

11/16

Backseat Driver

Here's what we liked-and didn't-about the 2002 Lamborghini Murcielago.

WHAT WORKS

WHAT DOESN'T

The Outside

Update of 10-year-old body style is sleek and less extreme than previous designs, but still stands out in a crowd.

Large, low horizontal vanes that lead to the side air inlets look too much like running boards.

The Inside

Black leather interior, with yellow stitching to match exterior, is uncluttered and elegant.